CAT Theatre Presents LEAVING IOWA, Now thru 6/7

CAT Theatre will present Leaving Iowa, by Spike Manton and Tim Clue today, May 23, 2014 through June 7, 2014. Leaving Iowa is a loving tribute to a more innocent time when nearly every summer included the dreaded family road trip.

CAT brings the final show of its 50th Anniversary Season to the stage with a nod to the past and a look to the future. Leaving Iowa brings together a team of some of the Richmond Theatre's most recognized artists. Director Amy Berlin is a multiple winner of CAT's Best Director Tabby Award, Style Magazine's Artist to Watch, and a two-time Richmond Times Dispatch Phoebe Nominee for Best Director. Set Design is by CAT veteran Lin Heath, an RTCC Nominee for Best Set Design; Sound Design is by Buddy Bishop who is a multiple RTCC Nominee for Best Sound Design, and Lighting Design is by Alan Armstrong, a Richmond Times Dispatch Phoebe Nominee for Best Lighting Design. Looking to the future, three of the Leaving Iowa cast members are making their first appearance at CAT.

Leaving Iowa premiered at Jeff Daniels' Purple Rose Theatre in Michigan where it broke box office records. It then ran for over a year at The Royal George Theatre in Chicago and was subsequently honored with awards with its West Coast premiere at the Laguna Playhouse. Since then, Leaving Iowa has become a phenomenally successful show with hundreds of critically acclaimed, sold-out productions all over the country. CAT is thrilled to produce the Richmond premiere of this family friendly, charming, and funny show.

Director Amy Berlin says, "This play has so many moments that seem lifted exactly from my childhood, and Tim Clue and Spike Manton's beautiful script weaves these memories into hilarious, and ultimately touching, vignettes. Plus, Leaving Iowa has the structure I am drawn to as a director: non-linear storytelling (the play jumps back and forth in time and tells the story in a very theatrical manner), actors playing multiple characters (SO many costumes and wigs!!), hilarious comedy, and just a little bit of magic."